1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to financial transaction cards and is specifically directed to a financial transaction card, such as a credit card, having embedded electronic circuitry, such as a built-in light or sound generator.
2. Background
The previously issued co-owned patents, namely, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,412,199; 5,434,405; 5,608,203; 5,856,661; and 6,176,430 disclose financial transaction cards with integral magnifying lenses and methods for making such cards. Such cards are convenient for magnifying and reading printed information, such as sales receipts and the like. Frequently, the user of such a card will desire to read information in a low light situation. To facilitate this, it is desirable to have a source of illumination in proximity to the magnifying lens. Even without a magnifying lens, there are many situations in which it would be desirable to have a financial transaction card that incorporates a source of illumination.
Heretofore, sources of illumination, e.g. flashlights, have been proposed with the same general shape as a credit card or a similar wallet card. Such a light is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,846. However, these prior art lights are significantly thicker than an ordinary credit card and, therefore, do not meet the standards for such cards prescribed by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO). Accordingly, prior art card shaped lights are incapable of functioning as financial transaction cards.